Bengaluru: The Outer Ring Road (ORR) experienced severe congestion on Monday evening, causing sluggish traffic flow during both the morning and evening rush hours.
The traffic police observed a notable increase in vehicle volume, particularly between Iblur and Mahadevapura, a stretch home to several IT parks.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, East) Kuldeep Kumar Jain attributed at least a 30 per cent rise in vehicles leaving tech parks. "Typically, by 1 pm, around 55,000 to 60,000 vehicles are inside the tech parks, translating to similar numbers on the road in the evening. On Monday, this figure surged to at least 75,000," Jain said.
Further compounding the issue, white-topping work on Sakra Hospital Road has diverted more vehicles to the ORR. Vehicles from Yemalur, for instance, are rerouted to the Old Airport Road-Marathahalli Junction before heading to Kadubeesanahalli. Poor road conditions on Kariyammana Agrahara Road have also slowed traffic, contributing to the overall congestion.
A leaking BWSSB drain chamber and potholes on the service road between Iblur Junction and Ecospace further hampered the movement of vehicles, with the traffic police issuing advisories on Monday morning.
Commuters voiced frustration on social media, with one user (@@aNr1857) posting a video showing significant traffic jams. Another user (@hrushi18) criticised the frequent delays and poor road conditions.
DCP Kuldeep Jain assured that the situation would improve once commuters adjusted to the alternative routes due to ongoing infrastructure work, with traffic easing in the coming days.